Apparatus for safe storage of volatile liquids.



W. H. McNUTT. APPARATUS FOR SAFE STORAGE 0P VOLATILE LIQUIDS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1911. 1, 1 1 8,299. Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

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W. H. McNUTT. APPARATUS FOR SAFE STORAGE 0F VOLATILE LIQUIDS. APPLICATION FILED 1m 24, 1911.

1, 1 1 8,299. Patented Nov. 24, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES [Ni EN TOR WYh-SuXM W HLMCNUTT THE NORRIS PETERS Ca. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C

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WILLIAM H. MCNUTT, OF NEW YORK, N. L, ASSIGNOR T0 CARRIE EMMA OWEN, OF FRANKLIN, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR SAFE STORAGE VOLATILE LIQUIDS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, \ViLLIxM H. McNU'r'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Safe Storage of Volatile Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for safe storage of volatile liquids; and it comprises a storage or supply tank, or a plural-- ity of storage tanks at the same or different levels, adapted to contain volatile liquid, a closed sump, cistern, or other suitable receiver located at a level below said storage tank or tanks and connected thereto by siphon means, venting means in said receiver, and fusible means located in and normally closing said siphon means, but adapted to melt at elevated temperatures and open said siphon means, said siphon means when so opened being adapted to become operative by reason of vapor pressure generated within said storage tank or tanks; all as more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

The use of volatile inflammable liquids such as benzin, naphtha, gasolene and the like is common in many manufacturing operations; and it is convenient usually to store supplies of such liquids in local containers conveniently accessible. Thus in a factory or other building where such liquids are employed, tanks are usually located on 7 various floors of the building, or in a number of places on the same floor, from which the liquid may be withdrawn by the operatives as needed. There is of course always considerable risk attending the use of gasolens and similar liquids in manufacturing practice, the danger from fire being excessive in spite of many precautions taken to insure safety.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means whereby a tank or tanks containing inflammable liquids may be automatically emptied in case of fire, and whereby the liquids may be conducted away from the vicinity of the fire and discharged into some suitable container inaccessible by fire. In this way all danger resulting from dispersion of inflammable liquid by breaking of a tank during the fire is practically eliminated. Devices of various kinds have beenproposed heretofore for Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

automatically emptying tanks containing inflammable liquids, but these have not had much success 1n practical use. In particular, it may be stated that such devices involving valves have been found in prac-v tice very unreliable by reason of the fact that a valve is apt to become locked to its seat by corrosion or otherwise when it remains idle for long periods as is generally perature above a predetermined point, to open, to automatically establish operative siphon conditions, and to completely withdraw liquid from a supply tank in proximity to av fire and convey it to some convenient place out of danger. Each tank may have its separate system of connections, or, and most conveniently, a number of tanks may have certain parts of a system in common. F or example, a conduit of any preferred type, constituting a long siphon leg, may lead from a cistern or other place of discharge located at a level below the supply tank or tanks, to any convenient height above such cistern. This conduit forms the I long leg of a siphon into which leads another conduit forming the short leg of the siphon whose open end dips below the surface of liquid in the supply tank to be protected. As many tanks may be thus connected to one long siphon leg as convenience de mands; and these tanks may be on the same or different levels. At a convenient point in each short siphon leg or in the connection between the siphon legs is positioned a closure of material fusible at whatever temperature it is desired the siphon shall operate. For this closure a plug of wax, paral'fin, or one of the various low melting alloys of bismuth, cadmium, lead, tin, etc., is suitable; the choice of material depending largely upon the temperature at which it is intended the siphon shall start. vVhere the closure is of wax or paraffin, the end of "the plug next the tank may be protected if desired by a disk of material substantially insoluble in liquid hydrocarbons in order to prevent accidental dissolution of the plug. Ordinary sealing wax is suitable for this I of discharge, but adapted, upon rise of tempurpose, being largely a resinate of calcium and substantially insoluble in the liquids mentioned. The cistern or reservoir into which liquid from the tanks is to be discharged should of course be large enough to hold the contents of all the supply tanks emptying into it. It should also be provided with suitable venting means to permit tree working of the siphon. ll hen the temperature in the vicinity of a tank rises above that selected as the safe limit, the fusible closure melts, thus opening communication between the siphon legs. the same time a portion of the gasolene or other volatile liquid in the supply tank is vaporized and gas pressure is developed in the upper part of the tank which eventually forces liquid up through the short leg or the siphon and over into tiie long leg, thus completing the siphon and establishing a how of liquid from the supply tank into the discharge reservoir below, which continues until the supply tank is empty. tduitably inwardly opening valve means are best provided in the upper part of the supply tank to permit entrance of air into the tank as the liquid is drawn oil and thus prevent interruption of the siphon.

In the accon'ipanying drawings l have shown certain embodiments of the present invention.

In this showing Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, representing a complete installation in a building; and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on a larger scale of a supply tank and its local siphon connections.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a local supply tank containing liquid 2 such as gasolene and provided with rotary pump 8 delivering liquid. through spout 4-, which may be pro vided with hook is from which a container may be hung. The liquid is drawn from the tank through supply pipe 5 which prelerably dips into a pocket (5 in the tank bottom, enabling the tank to be completely emptied. From the supply pipe, which constitutes the short leg of a siphon, leads branch pipe 7 connected to 8, the long siphon leg, by means of a T 9 or other suitable joining member. The branch pipe should connect with the supply pipe or short siphon leg at a point above the normal level of the liquid in the storage tank. The arrangement shown in the drawing is very convenient, the connection being outside of and above the tank. The long siphon leg terminates in discharge reservoir 19 located at some convenient place best below ground. In branch pipe (7) is a fusible closure 11 conveniently in the form of a plug of low fusing material. The supply tank is best supplied with a drip pan 12 whose bottom pitches from all sides to a drip inlet normally closed by inwardly opening springcontrolled check valve 13, rendering the tank gas-tight as regards internal pressure. A. stem llprojecting upwardly from the valve adapted to force the valve open when a can or other small container is set on the drip pan to be filled from the spout, thus permitting spilled liquid to flow back into the supply tank. Safety tube 15 of metal gauze or screen protects the valve opening, preventing back-drafting oit' flame into the tank when the valve is open.

The discharge reservoir should be provided with vei'iting means of some kind by which the inflammable vapors may be led away to some sate point and discharged harmlessly. Where economy of space is desirablc such renting means may convenicntly take the term oi a relatively large conduit 16 inclosing the long leg of the siphon, leading from the discharge reservoir to some point outside the building, preferably at a point well above the root as indicated in l, and may be closed at its upper end by suitable valve means 17, designed to open at slight excess pressure but normally closed to prevent entrance oi air into the system. Perforated metal device 18 may also be placed at the vent opening as a further safeguard against back-drafting.

any gas escaping from the vent and becoming ignited may thus burn quietly at a sate distance from the rooi without any possibility of flame passing down to the discharge reservoir. The lower ends of the long siphon leg and the vent conduit may also'be protected by a double screen device 19 of perforated metal projecting into the discharge reservoir, which effectually precludes flame back-drafting at this point. W here the branch pipe (7) enters the vent conduit, means should be provided to secure a tight joint; and such means may conveniently comprise a member 9.0 screwing into coupling 21 and pressing a gasket 22 closely against the coupling and the b anch pipe.

The relative proportions of the parts as shown in the drawings are "for convenience of illustration merely, and may of course be varied as desired to meet particular requirements. As before stated, each supply tank may have its independent system or not as most co venient. The installation shown in Fig. l is for a two story building, but the system may be extended, of course, to any number of floors. The specific arrangement of pump-venting means, location of the fusible plug, etc, are also capable of variation at will, such changes being included within the purview of the present invention.

The operation oi? the apparatus is sufficiently obvious from the foregoing description. Upon rise of temperature to a point sul'licient to fuse the fusible plug, the latter melts and thus opens the siphon connecting the supply tank with the discharge reservoir. At the same time the heat volatilizes part of the volatile liquid in the tank, developing gas pressure in the upper part of the tank which forces liquid over into the long leg of the siphon and establishes siphoning action. If the heat does not volatilize the liquid fast enough to keep up sufficient pressure in the tank during the siphon flow, the check valve opens, admitting the requisite amount of air. The siphon flow, once started, thus continues uninterruptedly until the tank is completely emptied. The same operation may be taking place simultaneously in all or a part of the other tanks of the system. At ordinary temperatures there is no tendency for accidental siphoning and emptying of the tank to occur, since the upper part of the siphon is above the normal liquid level.

hat I claim is:

1. Apparatus for storing liquids, comprising a local supply tank adapted to contain a volatile liquid, a siphon having its short leg arranged to dip below the surface of such liquid in said tank, and a fusible member normally closin said siphon.

2. Apparatus for storing liquids, comprising a. local supply tank adapted to contain a volatile liquid, means for withdrawing liquid f om said container, means connected to such withdrawing means and forming therewith a discharge siphon, a fusible member normally closing such siphon, a closed reservoir adapted to receive liquid from such siphon and a valved vent for said reservoir.

3. Apparatus for the safe storage of volatile liquids, comprising a storage tank adapted to contain volatile liquid, a pump having a supply pipe extending to a polnt near the bottom of said tank, a discharge pipe leading to a point below said tank, a branch pipe connecting said supply pipe and said discharge pipe,a reservoir adapted to receive liquid discharged from said discharge pipe, and a fusible plug normally closing said branch pipe.

tile liquids, comprising a storage tank gastight ,as regards internal pressure, an inwardly opening spring-controlled valve in an upper wall of said tank, a siphon leading from the inside of said tank to an outer place of discharge and extending upwardly to a point above the normal level of liquid contained in said tank, and a fusible plug normally located in and closing said siphon.

6. Apparatus for the safe storage of volatile liquids comprising a closed container, a discharge siphon connected with the lower part of said container and extending above the normal level of liquid stored therein, and an inwardly opening check valve in the upper part of said container.

7 Apparatus for the safe storage of volatile liquids comprising a plurality of closed containers, each container being provided with av pipe opening into the lower part thereof, a discharge conduit leading to a place of discharge below said containers, piping connections between each of said pipes and said discharge conduit, said piping connections being located in each instance above the normal level of liquid in the corresponding container, and an illwardly opening check valve arranged in the upper part of each of said containers.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in the presence of witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MoNUTT.

Witnesses:

J EANNETTE LEVY, ALEX J. HoLM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

